September’s UFC 119 pay-per-view event will get a “UFC Prelims” special, after all.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported earlier this month that Spike TV and UFC officials planned to skip the one-hour preliminary-card special for UFC 119.

However, a source close to the event said officials since have changed their minds and tapped middleweights C.B. Dollaway vs. Joe Doerksen and heavyweights Joey Beltran vs. Matt Mitrione for the Spike TV broadcast.

An official announcement could come as soon as today.

UFC 119 takes place Sept. 25 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The event, headlined by a rematch between Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, marks the UFC’s first-ever event in the Hoosier State.

Spike TV officials traditionally feature UFC Fight Night regulars and veterans of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series for the “UFC Prelims” specials. Dollaway was the middleweight runner-up on “TUF 7,” and Mitrione, a former NFL player, was a quarterfinalist on “TUF 10.”

Dollaway (10-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) fell short to Amir Sadollah at the TUF 7 Finale, but he submitted would-be finalist Jesse Taylor with a Peruvian-necktie choke in his first post-“TUF” fight. Aside from a submission loss to Tom Lawlor at UFC 100, the former Arizona State All-American wrestler is perfect in the UFC with a 4-0 record. Most recently, he scored a unanimous-decision win over Goran Reljic at UFC 110 in February.

Doerksen (46-12 MMA, 2-5 UFC) earned a third lease on his UFC career when he stepped in on short notice to fight Lawlor at UFC 113 and won via second-round submission. The Canadian, who’s earned 33 submissions in his 46 career wins, followed the triumph with a recent first-round TKO victory over Sean Marchand in a regional Canadian promotion to get another shot in the UFC.

Mitrione (2-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), meanwhile, went 1-1 on “TUF 10″ with a victory over former UFC fighter Scott Junk before he was eliminated by James McSweeney in the following round. Since his time on the reality show, he’s scored knockout wins over castmates Marcus Jones and Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson in official UFC competition.

His opponent, Beltran (12-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC), goes for his third straight win in the UFC. After topping Houston Alexander in a January 5150 Combat League event, he earned a UFC contract and has since defeated Rolles Gracie (TKO) and Tim Hague (decision). He’s now 8-1 with seven knockouts over a busy two-year stretch.

The one-hour “UFC Prelims” specials, which launched in September 2009, have averaged
between 1.2 million and 1.7 million viewers per event. More importantly, they help
the UFC pull in last-minute PPV buys, which can significantly boost
event revenue.

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